The wait is over.
The NFL season kicks off tonight with an elite matchup, as the Dallas Cowboys travel to the Philadelphia Eagles to take on the reigning Super Bowl champions. These two bitter NFC East rivals despise each other, so the game is certainly bound to be heated, if nothing else.
The Eagles went 2-0 against the Cowboys in 2024 -- winning 34-6 on November 10th and 41-7 on December 29th. Those were a pair of ugly losses for Dallas, but don't forget that the team was led by backup quarterback Cooper Rush at that time due to a season-ending injury to Dak Prescott.
The odds are stacked against the Cowboys, but an upset could be brewing up in Philly. With that being said, what key things must Dallas do to start the season with a big upset?
Rebound from the Parsons trade
On August 28th -- exactly one week before the start of the regular season -- the Cowboys traded star defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Parsons and the franchise's front office had their fair share of tension amid failed contract negotiations, with the defensive end even holding out on practices. Still, it's hard to believe that Dallas willingly traded away one of the top defenders in the entire NFL so suddenly.
The Cowboys have had to adjust quickly in the last week. The team certainly has versatility at the position, with Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams and James Houston all listed as pass rushers on the team's depth chart.
That's promising, but ultimately none of those players are near what Micah Parsons was for the team. They'll have to step up and prove that Dallas' defense is just as capable of competing with the best of the best -- without Parsons.
Limit explosive plays on the ground
As if the loss of Parsons wasn't tough enough on the Cowboys defense, the unit is opening its season against one of the top rushing offenses in the league. Philadelphia ranked second in the NFL in both total rushing yards (3,084) and rushing touchdowns (29) last year.
Running back Saquan Barkley is at the very top of his position group, winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2024 following a regular season that saw him rush for a monster 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is a major threat on the ground as well: the signal-caller rushed for 14 touchdowns in the regular season last year. Interestingly enough, Hurts had only 2,903 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns, putting him in 20th place in the NFL in both categories.
If the Cowboys can keep Barkley and Hurts in check on the ground and force more passing plays, there's a chance that the talented Eagles offense could be hindered just enough for Dallas to get ahead.
Prescott must be at the top of his game
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is entering his tenth year in the NFL. Although he's been "good" in most stat categories when looking at his career as a whole, he has struggled at times with turnovers and consistency.
Tonight will mark the first time Prescott has stepped on the field since November 3rd, 2024, after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in the team's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
His limited 2024 season was among the worst in his career: Prescott had just 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games played.
There's no room for error against the Eagles. Prescott has shown that he can play at an elite level, and it's important that he reaches that level tonight. If he doesn't, then odds are, the Cowboys will fall into a hole that's too big to dig out of.